On Thursday morning a group of veterans gathered at the Arizona State Capitol to demand that State Senator Jeff Dial release his DD214. The veterans were joined by family and friends to protest Dial’s refusal to prove that he served honorably and earned the title of veteran.
In a statement released on Thursday, the veterans at the event said they are upset because they believe that Dial has “touted his veteran status for political gain. Dial’s military service has come into question and veterans are now asking the Senator to produce a proper form (the DD Form 214) to prove his honorable military status. Primaries are right around the corner and the veterans are demanding this from Dial before Tuesday.”
The group claims that the form that Dial displays on his website is “not a valid form and can even be bought on eBay. It is invalid because per the US Department of Veteran Affairs it needs to have dates (plural) of active service to qualify for the title of “veteran.” Senator Dial’s only has one date.”
According to an article in the Arizona Republic, Arizona Sen. Jeff Dial’s military record questioned, “… what Dial doesn’t say about his military experience is that soon after joining the U.S. Army Reserve in 1996, he got in trouble for his weight, triggering a personnel action against him and making him ineligible for promotion. Four years into his eight-year commitment, he was transferred to the inactive list for “unsatisfactory participation.”
“While other reservists were being called up to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dial remained on the individual ready reserve list from 2000 to 2004. Dial, a Republican who represents parts of Ahwatukee Foothills, Tempe, Mesa and Chandler, received an honorable discharge when his service commitment ended in 2004,” reported the Arizona Republic.
Dial’s honesty about both his military service and work experience has been called into question over the years. Just last week, his opponent Frank Schmuck, a decorated Persian Gulf War veteran, questioned Dial’s claims about his work history. According to Schmuck’s ad, Dial “says he was executive vice-president of Dial Chemical from 1988 to 2013.” If true, Dial would have been 12 years old when he was executive vice-president of the family-owned chemical company.
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